Installing in a click

Last Ubuntu versions enable you to install software by clicking on a
link in your browser. If you want to install only some of the software
list in this page, you can do it by simply clicking on the links put on
the packages' names. This is not a security breach, since these
packages are installed using apt-get and your configured repositories.
It's only a little helper for lazy people :D

And we set the Sun Java Virtual Machine as the default Java environment:

sudo update-java-alternatives --set java-6-sun

If you want to be able to read movies included in web pages (some of it, nevertheless), you need to install the Mozilla Firefox's VLC plugin:

sudo apt-get install mozilla-plugin-vlc

Last, but not least, if you want to be able to read DVD movies, you will need gxine and DVD decryption librairies:

sudo apt-get install libdvdcss2 libdvdnav4 libxine1-ffmpeg gxine

Installing missing software

If your Internet connection was down during your Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex installation, some packages can miss from your system.

To complete the language support (for English only):

sudo apt-get install openoffice.org-help-en-us

To enable Internet time synchronisation (in order to keep your system on the right date and time):

sudo apt-get install ntp

Sharing folders on the local area network

To enable your users (yourself included) to share folders with other Windows or Linux computers, you need Samba:

/usr/bin/sudo /usr/bin/apt-get install samba

Then add your own user (and other ones if needed) to the sambashare group:

/usr/bin/sudo /usr/sbin/adduser $USER sambashare

Once you are done, close your session and open it again to be able to share a folder. Sharing a folder can be accessed by right-clicking on the folder to share, and choosing "Share options" in the context menu that shows.

Enhancing OpenOffice.org aspect on Xubuntu

If you use Xubuntu, you can use the following command line to enhance Open Office interface aspect:

sudo apt-get install openoffice.org-gtk openoffice.org-style-tango

Source: Thanks to Oxdot for his help.

Various enhancements

Fastening applications launch

Preload is a daemon running in background and loading the most used applications of your system into memory. By doing so, it reduce the applications launch time at the cost of a light memory consumption. To use it, you only need to install the preload package:

Desktop effects

Since Gutsy, desktop effects are available by default. In order to
enable them, go in the "Visual effects" tab of "System -> Settings
-> Appearance". If the default settings are not sufficient for your
needs, you can tweak them using the compizconfig-settings-manager :

sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager

Software need desktop effects

If your computer hardware allow you to use desktop effects, i encourage you to test the following software

Gnome Do

Gnome Do is a clone of the KDE tool Katapult. It allow to launch quickly a software, a Pidgin dialog, or open a bookmark, simply by typing the first letters of its name. For example, by typing the first letters of one of your Pidgin contacts, you can directly open a dialog window with him/her.

To install Gnome Do, use this command line:

/usr/bin/sudo /usr/bin/apt-get install gnome-do gnome-do-plugins

Gnome Do is now available in the Software -> Accessories menu. Once launched, you can use it by stroking <Super> + <Space> key combination. By default, the <Super> key is the Windows key of your keyboard.

Note: starting from Intrepid Ibex, Gnome Do is automatically added to software launched at session opening.

Avant Window Navigator

Avant Window Navigator is a dock cloning the one available on Mac OS X. To install it, use this command line:

Don't worry, it is not dangerous. It do what you would have done by
hand if you were confronted to the problem. Only professional file
system rescuers should have this setting to No (for me, it is clearly a
rest of the days where Linux was made for geeks by geeks)).

drapes : A little software that take place in the notification area and
regularly change your background by picking in your image library.

subtitleeditor :
I often play video with subtitles. This little tool is a great subtitle
editor that can be used to resynchronize subtitles with the video (I
just love the fact that this software show the sound volume graphic).